Your November 2021
Legislative
&
Community Update!

Don't Forget Senator Rhett
District 33





What's Happening
in
District 33!
Congressman David Scott

Congresswoman McBath

Congressman Loudermilk

Free meals, haircuts, Bed and Breakfasts, and tons of discounts for Veterans. This Veterans Day discounts list will be updated as we learn of them, so please share any discounts or programs you find!


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Female veterans recall their service, from World War II to Afghanistan

During her first deployment as part of Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War, Sarita Dyer climbed into her sleeping bag one night only to wake up to mayhem: people screaming, fighter jets overhead, her sergeant coming in, telling everyone to take cover.
They were under attack.

“I cried and I prayed, y’all. And I prayed and I cried and I cried, and prayed again,” Dyer said. “I began to think, ‘I’m going to die.’”
After a harrowing experience like that, it was fair to wonder why she continued her military service.

“Having earned my first combat badge, I began to feel a sense of pride and patriotism,” Dyer said. “As a young woman, I’ve always heard of the stories of combat that involved men. I wanted to be a part of the narrative change.”

Carol Bouchard, 96, said she was in college when she learned two of her childhood friends had died in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
“And it seemed like a poor time to be spending in college, when this was going on,” she said.

In March of 1945, only 20 years old, Bouchard enlisted in the Navy. During boot camp in New York City, she was part of the “Singing Waves Platoon,” which would perform in 15-minute radio segments. They performed for America, but sometimes more famous artists would perform for them. A highlight, she said, was a visit from the one and only Frank Sinatra.
Bouchard would later go through aerographer school, learning to forecast the weather. But, on the very day she arrived in Florida for reassignment, Japan surrendered, ending World War II.

Marilyn Simmerman recalled taking a train to New York City on St. Patrick’s Day 1952, then another to San Antonio, where she would begin her career in the Air Force in earnest.

Eventually, she was sent to Johnson Air Force base outside Tokyo, where she would serve in the telephone unit during the Korean War, working as at telephone operator and updating equipment.

There, Simmerman met and married her husband. Shortly thereafter, the Air Force decided to move the “WAFs” — members of the Women in the Air Force program — out of the Far East. Rather than be reassigned and separated from her new husband, she was discharged, ending her two years in the Air Force.

“But I tell you what, I enjoyed the service,” Simmerman said. “I don’t regret one minute.”

In 1963, only 17 years old, Mabel Kim enlisted in the Navy with her father’s permission.

“At that time, women had to be at least 21 years old to join without parental permission and have a high school education,” Kim explained.

“The ’60s was a changing and exciting time. We had a brand-new, charismatic president who challenged us by saying, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country,’” she recalled. “The draft was going on. The Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum with Martin Luther King as a peaceful activist.”

The very day she arrived at bootcamp, that young, charismatic president, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Recruits were told they could get back on the bus and go home without repercussion.
Kim stayed.

She wound up serving out of the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia, where she took care of fellow corpsmen recovering from the wounds sustained in Vietnam.

Give us your input on Mobility SPLOST

Get to know Cobb's Mobility SPLOST plans and 2050 Comprehensive Transportation Plan and give us your feedback. At town halls around the county, you will learn:

• How this SPLOST differs from the referendum approved by voters in November 2020
• How each will generate new revenues for the Comprehensive Transportation Plan

You will receive information on how you can provide input to help shape Cobb MSPLOST options. Your input will be presented to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners for consideration.

Town Hall dates and times:
Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.
North Cobb Regional Library
3535 Old 41 Highway NW, Kennesaw

Nov. 9 at 6 p.m.
Switzer Library
266 Roswell Street, NE, Marietta

Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Cobb County Public Safety Police Academy
2435 East-West Connector, Austell

Groceries travel to food deserts
MUST Ministries debuted a new mobile food pantry to serve areas with little or no access to fresh food, toiletries, and other goods. This converted city bus will travel around Cobb, North Fulton and Cherokee counties and provide lifesaving resources to about 16,000 people in its first year. To volunteer or to see where the bus will be visiting each day, visit the MUST website.
Save the date for town hall next week

Commissioner Monique Sheffield will host a town hall meeting with Cobb County Police Department and Cobb County DOT 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Cobb County Public Safety Training Academy.

Cobb Police will present the latest in law enforcement technology, crime trends in our communities, safety practices and much more. DOT will present upcoming MSPLOST initiatives and solicit community feedback in advance of next year’s referendum. 
The Cobb County Public Safety Training Academy is located at 2435 East West Connector, Austell. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
MIC
American Legion Update
Our student Athlete, Rajaan Bennett. Gone too soon.
Serving Community & Country!
Senator "Doc" Rhett

Georgia State Senator District 33

Master Sergeant Michael "Doc" Rhett
Retired
U. S. Air Force Reserves

Retired Educator

Doctorate Degree: University of Georgia (UGA)

American Legion Post 296 Marietta, Georgia

Officer/Trustee Turner Chapel AME Church Marietta, GA